Me & Shirley Temples

Shirley & I

Okay before you dive in, I hope you enjoy and also, I hope The Smiths Cd looks aesthetic

Enjoy ;)

Shirley and I had been living together in an apartment for a few years. We were finishing up our college lives and are starting a new chapter together, as best friends do. Shirley loves to give things names; the old frumpy couch was Randle, the cracked window was Crinkle, and the homey apartment was named Temple. I never really understood why she names things, she was her own person all through high school she never let anyone get in the way of her being herself. Anyways, I joined in of course but I was always fond of her creativity. When we first moved into our apartment, I mean Temple, it had mice and a horrible smell. We had a living/kitchen/dinning room, the Livkitchdinning room if you must, with a bathroom, which was stained from all the hair dye stuck to our heads, and two bedrooms that were the same size but Shirley insisted she had the "smaller" room. The livkitchdinning room is one room, with a little corner of a kitchen but I like the name Shirley came up with. 

The carpet was very old and musty; It had like this teal old lady color to it, it was the source of the smell when we first moved in, it took 25 cleanings to get at least the smell manageable with a hint of Fabuloso but many stains remained. Shirley was sure enough the Temple will be like home in no time, once we move out stuff in, we'll feel more comfortable. I wish she realized that it didn't matter where we lived, because any place with her felt like a home. After our first year the Temple felt more like home then just a place to rest and return too after a hard day after classes. We had lamps and white Christmas lights all hung up, posters of our favorite bands, and plants trying to survive our unusual watering schedule. A year and 5 months passed, then our bathroom exploded, well not literally exploded but the shower head fell off and water just came flushing out. Shirley called it the Titanic on Temple Ave, of course after a week of cleaning and mopping and drying, Shirley named the bathroom Niagara Walls, she felt so clever. Soon we were heading towards the end of our college careers, it was kinda scary for the both of us, Shirly wasn't ready to finish up school and I was still waiting to hear back from some jobs I applied too, besides we still had the Temple didn't we? Well, one day, a few months after graduation, Shirley said,

I think it's time I moved out....

I just laughed, she is always so funny when she jokes, but then I realized it wasn't a joke, surely she is just overt thinking isn't she? After a few weeks, Shirely was gone, my best friend, someone I wanted to stay with forever in the Temple, with Randle, and Crinkle. Now I just sit in Niagara Walls, changing a hair color or showering the sorrow away. Of course we stayed in touch, no matter what, she was my best friend and the Temple will always be her home, but the Temple kept breaking down with water damage and mice, so sadly I moved away too. So I went from a few apartments over the years, I never stayed in a place longer than two years, it just never felt like a home but more like a resting ground. Throughout this time Shirley and I fell out of touch, we had the occasional,

Hey, hru?

Though it never felt the same as it did back in college, I was hitting 30, and still haven't figured out what my life will be like. How will I ever be comfortable in a home? All I ever did was feel sad about being alone and by myself, I still carry around a polaroid that me and her took on our first day at the apartment, her pink hair and my bright blue, some days I wish I could relive the memories. Finally, I saved up money over the next few years. On my 35th birthday, I bought myself a huge house in the countryside, I was completely done with the city. It was white with two stories, countless windows, a garden, and a beautiful fence that touched the trees. I figure I could embarrass the loneliness, not in a sad way but in a nice comforting style. After a few days of unpacking, I started to feel more comfortable in the house, I learned my way around and planned out each room as I walked by.

Office, Studio, Library, Bedroom 1, Bedroom 2, oh......so many rooms

When I stepped into the garden, the settled green grass moved with the wind and the flowers bloomed. I was so happy to be able to plant so many flowers, but then a familiar voice filled my ears, a voice I haven't heard in years.

Why, this rose bush, you shall be named.......Rossetta

As I looked through my fence, surely it couldn't be, but I was surely wrong. Shirley, with her faded pink hair, dirty gardening clothes, and a bright sun hat, standing over the flowers naming them one by one.